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The Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) represents a community’s long-term vision for how the local transportation network should evolve to serve residents and employers in a growing region.

The CTP includes multiple modes of transportation, meaning that it will focus on highways, pedestrian facilities (sidewalks and trails), bicycle facilities, public transportation and rail. Attention to each of these transportation modes allows us to better provide for a broad range of transportation choices.

The CTP assesses the condition of the entire transportation network and serves as the framework for transportation planning efforts at the local and regional scale.

By including all modes of travel (not just cars), the CTP provides a comprehensive inventory of an evolving multi-modal transportation network to support CRTPO and its local partners as they plan to meet the needs of a growing and diversifying
population.

The CTP does not include specific transportation projects or improvement schedules, but instead represents the status or completeness of the comprehensive transportation system that may be required to support anticipated growth and development.

Local jurisdictions in the CRTPO region determine the completeness of each segment of highway (or street), pedestrian facility, bike facility, or public transportation network, based in large part on locally adopted plans, policies, and expectations for the future. The segments are categorized as existing, needs improvement, or recommended and an explanation of the categories is described below.

The CTP includes four maps that illustrate how communities assess and envision their future transportation network.

1. Highway/Street Map Describes and assesses the transportation network for motor vehicles (not including local and subdivision streets)
2. Pedestrian Map Describes and assesses the network for sidewalks and trails
3. Bicycle Map Describes and assesses the network for bicycle lanes and trails
4. Public Transportation and Rail Map Describes and assesses the public transportation and freight rail networks

Each transportation facility is categorized as:

Existing

The existing facility is not expected to change. The facility may be considered adequate based on a variety of factors such as appropriate design, expected future traffic volumes, consistency with adopted plans, or livability objectives. The facility may also be considered adequate based on its context within the larger transportation network or because it is unbuildable due to physical constraints.

Needs Improvement

The existing facility or service is (or is expected to be) inadequate and should be changed to accommodate expected traffic volumes, improve inadequate design or identified safety issues, reflect pedestrian and bicycle facilities shown in adopted plans, improve poorly designed facilities, or fill in connectivity gaps.

Recommended

There are no existing facilities or services and a new facility or service is needed.

The CTP is a dynamic plan for the long-term future, and will evolve over time to reflect changing conditions, e.g. a street segment or sidewalk is built, or local plan and policy changes. Future amendments to the CTP are made through a mutually agreed upon process in coordination with CRTPO and its member jurisdictions.

By establishing the region’s future transportation needs, the CTP offers an organized way to identify, and eventually prioritize, the transportation projects that will be built in the communities that comprise CRTPO. Local governments may use the CTP to inform local land use decision-making and transportation planning initiatives and to more clearly communicate transportation expectations with residents, developers, and NCDOT.

The CTP also serves as a framework for selecting future transportation projects for the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), which identifies transportation projects prioritized for funding over the next 20 years. Once projects are in the MTP, projects are then selected to be placed in the even shorter-term Transportation Investment Program (TIP) that NCDOT uses to program projects for construction.

The CRTPO policy board and the North Carolina Board of Transportation mutually adopt the four locally-produced CTP maps. This allows for the multi-modal CTP to be used for MPO planning processes.

The CTP is implemented in a variety of ways, since there are several methods by which highways, streets, pedestrian, bike, and public transit facilities get built. Transportation projects can be built or improved as public construction projects or in conjunction with land development projects.

Generally, segments shown as “Needs Improvement” or “Recommended” could become a project in the MTP, a locally-funded project, part of a development project, or may never become a project.

How might local jurisdictions implement the CTP?

• The CTP designations can help local jurisdictions develop, prioritize, and plan local projects;
• The CTP can assist with coordinating transportation planning efforts that fall within multiple jurisdictions;
• The CTP designations help jurisdictions more clearly communicate the local transportation vision by including multiple transportation modes; and
• Local jurisdictions can implement improvements through local ordinances or capital projects.

How will CRTPO implement the CTP?

• The MTP will draw from the CTP for potential projects;
• The CTP maps and supporting documentation will be used to track historical information about the transportation network.
• The information in the CTP will help define expectations when the CRTPO is working with the State on project designs; and
• The CTP will serve as a source of information to ensure that future projects reflect the community’s transportation vision.

How will NCDOT implement the CTP?

• NCDOT will use the CTP designations to develop future, funded transportation projects;
• The multi-modal CTP will help NCDOT better understand the comprehensive transportation vision for local jurisdictions and the CRTPO.